Gripen South Africa: Fleet Status and Future of the SAAF

How many Saab Gripens South Africa has, how many can fly, which contracts keep them airworthy and what is still unconfirmed about the fleet and its weapons.

The Gripen South Africa programme put 26 Saab fighters into the South African Air Force (SAAF) between 2008 and 2012, but only part of that fleet has been kept flying since. Reporting by defenceWeb in 2024 and 2025 shows 13 aircraft covered by a Saab support contract and the remaining jets in storage. This guide sets out what the fleet is, what it can carry, how many aircraft are serviceable and which questions about its future are still open at the time of writing.

Gripen South Africa: Overview and Development History

South Africa signed for 26 Gripen C and D aircraft in 1999. Deliveries began in April 2008 and 18 aircraft had arrived by April 2011. The SAAF received 17 single-seat JAS 39C fighters and nine two-seat JAS 39D aircraft, which are based with 2 Squadron at Air Force Base Makhado in Limpopo.

Money limited the fleet from the start. In March 2013 the defence minister said almost half of the Gripens were in storage because of budget limits, and the air force rotated airframes between storage and flying to spread the available hours. Saab’s support contracts lapsed that year, South African contractors filled the gap, and Saab received a long-term support contract in December 2013.

The low point came in 2021. Late that year the whole Gripen fleet was grounded, and one aircraft was severely damaged in a ground maintenance accident. defenceWeb reports that one aircraft has since been written off after a ground incident. In August 2022 the outlet was asking whether the jets would ever fly again, after more than a year on the ground.

Recovery began in September 2022, when Saab was awarded a maintenance contract and defenceWeb reported the jets back in the air. The arrangement aimed to return 13 aircraft to service over three years. That target, rather than the full 26, has shaped the fleet ever since.

Specifications and Performance of the Gripen C and D

The Gripen is a single-engine multirole fighter with a delta wing, canard foreplanes and fly-by-wire controls. Its engine is the Volvo RM12 turbofan, a licence-built derivative of the General Electric F404. Published descriptions give the aircraft a controllable angle of attack of 70 to 80 degrees.

The nose carries the PS-05/A pulse-Doppler X-band radar, which is described as able to detect and track targets at about 120 km. The single-seat C has an internal 27 mm Mauser BK-27 cannon. The two-seat D lacks the cannon and carries less internal fuel.

Typical external load is up to 6,500 kg of missiles, bombs and pods. Maximum speed, combat radius and ceiling vary with configuration and by source, so this guide leaves them out rather than quoting an unverified figure.

Feature	JAS 39C	JAS 39D
Crew	1	2
Internal cannon	27 mm BK-27	None
Internal fuel	Standard	Reduced
SAAF aircraft acquired	17	9
Main SAAF role	Air defence	Pilot conversion and operational training

Armament and Capabilities of the SAAF Gripen

For short-range air combat the SAAF relies on the locally developed Denel Dynamics A-Darter. Development began in 2006 in collaboration with Brazil and was completed in November 2019, after deliveries had first been expected by the end of 2017. Project Assegaai covered development and Project Kamas covers production.

defenceWeb describes the A-Darter as a short-range dogfighting weapon with a range of roughly 7 km. It has an imaging infrared dual-colour seeker rated to 80 G and can lock on before and after launch. Targets can be detected up to 180 degrees from the launch aircraft’s heading, and the warhead is a fragmentation type with a proximity fuse from Rheinmetall Denel Munition.

Deliveries have been slow. At a briefing to Parliament on 13 June 2025, Denel said it had delivered eight inert practice missiles and four acquisition trainer missiles. The first four operational missiles were due in July 2025, with 37 more to follow, and Denel ties faster output to access to additional working capital.

The A-Darter does not fill every gap. defenceWeb notes that the SAAF has had no beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile since the R-Darter was retired. An early attempt to qualify the A-Darter on the Gripen E, the version Brazil has bought, was unsuccessful, and Denel has reportedly revived plans to integrate it on the E and on the Hawk Mk 120. Manufacture is to take place in South Africa for the SAAF’s Gripen C and D.

For the wider picture of air-to-air and strike weapons on the continent, see this site’s guide to the strongest air forces in Africa.

Operators and Numbers in Service

Gripen South Africa is one of several export programmes for the C and D versions. Sweden remains the largest user and is moving towards the Gripen E, with the first of 60 ordered aircraft delivered on 20 October 2025.

Operator	Aircraft and status
Sweden	204 Gripens ordered across three batches; C/D upgrades continue and some will stay in service beyond 2030
Czech Republic and Hungary	14 leased aircraft each; Hungary has also received four new Gripen C
Thailand	Six Gripen C/D ordered in 2008 and six more C in 2010
Brazil	Mainly the E/F version; reported to be negotiating for 12 second-hand C/D aircraft from Sweden
South Africa	26 C/D delivered 2008 to 2012; 13 under a Saab support contract

The South African numbers need care, because reports count different things.

SAAF Gripen measure	Figure	Reported by defenceWeb
Acquired	26 (17 C, 9 D)	March 2025
Written off	1	November 2024
Covered by Saab support contract	13	November 2024
Kept in storage	12	November 2024
Available and serviceable	13 (54% availability)	March 2025
Fleet size in Armscor briefing to Parliament	24	June 2025

Gripen South Africa Fleet Status and Support Contracts

Serviceability depends on two contracts. Saab maintains the airframes, and GKN Aerospace maintains the engines. Armscor, the defence procurement agency, manages both for the SAAF.

The airframe contract covered September 2022 to the end of August 2025. defenceWeb reported in November 2024 that R650 million was required and R546 million had been allocated. A June 2025 Armscor presentation to Parliament gave a contract value of R476 million with a R174 million shortfall, which again sums to R650 million. In both cases the money paid to keep 13 aircraft airworthy.

The engine contract with GKN Aerospace was awarded in October 2023 and runs to the end of July 2026. In November 2024 R145 million was funded out of R327 million required. In June 2025 Armscor reported R145 million contracted and a further R181 million needed.

The same June 2025 presentation said negotiations on a new Saab contract had concluded. It was estimated at SEK 565 million, about R1 billion, to support 13 flying aircraft and to address part of the repair backlog. At the time of writing, no public announcement confirming signature or the final value has been located, so the new contract should be treated as agreed in negotiation but not confirmed.

The wider budget explains the pressure. The SAAF received R17.7 billion for 2025/26, an increase of 3.9% that defenceWeb described as below inflation. SIPRI puts South African military spending at $3.2 billion for 2025, down 1.2% in real terms on the year before and 19% below 2016. For national context, see this site’s profile of South Africa’s military strength, budget and personnel.

Operational Record and Combat Use

The sources reviewed report no combat use in the Gripen South Africa programme. Its public appearances have been ceremonial and defensive, such as the fighter flypast over Cape Town ahead of the 2024 State of the Nation Address.

The type has seen combat elsewhere. Sweden deployed eight Gripens from 2 April 2011 to support the UN-mandated no-fly zone over Libya, and kept five after an extension in June 2011. By October 2011 they had flown more than 650 combat missions and nearly 2,000 flight hours, and had delivered about 2,000 reconnaissance reports to NATO.

How the Gripen Compares With Rival Systems

Inside the SAAF, the other jet fleet is the BAE Systems Hawk Mk 120. Of 24 acquired, defenceWeb reported 71% availability in March 2025, supported by a service contract covering 12 airframes until 2029. The Gripen’s 54% availability was lower, although it concerns a fleet where only half the aircraft are funded for flying.

Regionally, Gripen South Africa numbers and quality pull in different directions. defenceWeb reports that Angola’s air force operates more than 250 aircraft in total, many dating from the 1970s and 1980s. The Gripen C and D is a smaller but more modern fleet, and the heavier twin-engine alternative is the Su-30 family, covered in this site’s guide to Su-30 operators in Africa.

Against newer versions, the C and D are an earlier generation. Sweden and Brazil have moved to the Gripen E. No SAAF programme to buy or convert to the E has been announced in the sources reviewed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Gripens does South Africa have?

South Africa acquired 26 Gripen aircraft, 17 single-seat C and nine two-seat D models, delivered between 2008 and 2012. One has been written off, according to defenceWeb. An Armscor presentation to Parliament in June 2025 listed a fleet of 24, so the exact current count depends on the source.

How many South African Gripens can fly?

defenceWeb reported in March 2025 that 13 Gripens were available and serviceable, equal to 54% fleet availability. The same number is covered by the Saab support contract, while about 12 aircraft are kept in storage. Availability can change with funding and spares, so it should be checked against the latest official statements.

Which missiles do SAAF Gripens carry?

The documented weapon is the Denel Dynamics A-Darter, a short-range infrared missile. Operational deliveries were scheduled to begin in July 2025, with 37 more to follow. The SAAF has had no beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile since the R-Darter was retired, and no replacement has been confirmed.

Has the South African Gripen fought in combat?

No combat use by the SAAF has been reported. The type has fought elsewhere: Sweden flew more than 650 combat missions over Libya in 2011. South African Gripens have mainly flown training, air-defence and ceremonial tasks, and the fleet was grounded for over a year from 2021.

Gripen South Africa: Fleet Status, Support and Future